Nikon D70s 70-200VR + 2xTE@ 380 1/1600 f5.6 ISO 320 EV -2.0
This is my first effort to photograph an egret in a tree -- there were 8 of them there, mostly hidden. My primary purpose was to avoid the blinkies while capturing the white color against a dark background. The image is cropped 50% and minimally amended with shadows/highlight and USM applied. I also tried to brighten the eye a bit. Did I achieve my main purpose and still get a decent picture? Criticism and suggestions please . . .
Hi Wendell, I like this image a lot - the detail on the bird is lovely. My suggestion would be to crop a fair bit from the right of the picture and also a little from the top and bottom. I feel that this would give more emphasis to the bird. Is it possible to darken the background a little?? Well done!
looking at your metadata and it looks like you had another 20mm that you could have used!! rack it out!! i wouldnt have made a comment about that, but you said this is a 50% crop. try to get the image in the camera as best as possible without having to crop. you will certainly lose some details by not having the bird in the frame as large as it can be. may be a bad choice of words, but i think you know what i mean!!
as far as answering your question, great job on the exposure. i think you did well!! i still think you could go back and do some selective sharpening on the eye itself and it would be stronger!! good luck!
Niki, I take your critique about further cropping . . . that even might lessen the need for darkening, as well (?).
And Harold, i do know what you mean; I should have used it "all." Also, glad you commented on further eye treatment, don't know why I stopped. But, finally, I'm very happy to have got the "white exposure" right . . .
First of all I like the exposure as presented I know that bg sucks up lots of light but never would have thought two full stops, was the original a little under? Do like the whites as presented.
Agree with the slight crop placing the bird more to the edge, at the time of exposure would have pointed the camera down and left !! btw the eye looks very good I like it a lot !!!!
Thanks, Alfred!! Yes, the original was a little under (how could you have known that? -- experience, I guess). I'm glad I got the whites right; that was my main objective.
Egret in a tree
